Track-door for refrigerators.



QM E N 0 d E TRACK DOOR FUR RBFRIGERATORS APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15,1906.

RICHARD E. JONES, OF HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND.

TRACK-DOOR FOB REFBIGERA'IORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1908.

Application filed October 15, 1906. Serial No. 339,065.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD E. J ONES, a citizen of the United States,residing at I'Iagerstown, in the county of Washington and State ofMaryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Track-Doors forRefrigerators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to refrigerators or cold storagecompartments and has for its object to provide a track door for thepurpose of closing or sealing the track opening at the top of anordinary door opening and another object of the invention is to providefor automatically opening and closing the said track door as the maindoor is.

opened or closed.

I/Vith these objects in view the invention consists essentially inmounting a track door upon a shaft provided with a crank at one end,said crank being operatively connected with a bail which is adapted toraise and lower as the main door is opened or closed thereby opening andclosing the track door.

The invention'consists also in certain details of construction hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is a viewshowing my improved construction of track door and operating meansarranged in connection with a refrigerator or cold storage compartment,the main door of the refrigerator or compartment being closed andlikewise the track door. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view showing themain door and track door open. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of thetrack door showing the relative position of said track door withreference to the main door and track, and Fig. 4 is a side or end viewof the track door operating means.

. Referring to the drawings A indicates the refrigerator door and B asmall opening at the top of the door opening and through which passesthe track 0 upon which travels the pulleys carrying the meat hangers.Heretofore these small openings B have always remained opened after thedoor A has been closed consequently it has been impossible to preventWarm air entering the refrigerator compartment. For the purpose ofcompletely closing this opening B when the door A is closed Iprovide atrack door D which is mounted upon a hinged shaft E which shaft isjournaled in brackets E attached to the face of the refrigerator, and

the lower end of this door is slotted as shown at D in prder to fit overthe track 0. IThcn the door is closed, the slot D being just wide enoughto receive the said bracket and con sequently when the track door isturned down from the opening B said opening is completely closed orsealed thereby preventing the entrance of warm air into therefrigerator. It is of course necessary to elevate this track doorwhenever the track is to be used and inasmuch as this only occurs whenthe door A is open, I connect the door A and track door D by anoperating mechanism so that by opening the main door the track door isautomatically elevated and when the main door is closed the track doorwill close by gravity and at the same time a slight compression withinthe refrigerator which takes place upon the sudden closing of the doorcan be relieved by a slight flutter of the track door and the said trackdoor thereby serves a double purpose, mainly as a closer for the trackopening and as a vent for the escape of the compressed air.

For the purpose of automatically operating the track door I provide ashaft E with a crank arm F at the end adjacent the hinged end of thedoor A. Connected to this crank arm F is a rod which in turn ispivotally connected'at the lower end to a semi-circular shaped bail IIpivoted at H to brackets secured tothe face of the refrigerator andnortrack door as most clearly shown in Fig. 2.

I/Vhen the door A is closed the bail H and the rod G drop by their ownweight and consequently the track door falls and closes the opening Bbut inasmuch as the closing of this door is due entirely to theoperation of gravity it is obvious that it can have a slight outwardfluttering motion sufficient to permit the escape of the compressed airand this is a very essential feature as there is always more or lesscompression when ever the door is closed quickly.

It will thus be seen that I provide an eX- ceedingly cheap and simpleappliance which effectively closes the track opening at the top of thedoor opening and also serves as a vent for the escape of com )ressedair.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An air tight compartment provided With a main-door opening and atrack-door opening, a main door and a track door for closing therespective openings, a shaft upon Which the track door is mounted, aswinging bail adapted to be raised by the opening of the main door andmeans for connecting said bail and shaft, as set forth.

2. The combination with a main door, a track door mounted upon a shafthaving a crank-arm at one end, a rod. connected. to the said crank-arm,and a bail to which the rod is pivoted, said bail being so arranged withreference to the main door that the opening of said main door serves toelevate the bail, as set forth.

3. A main door, a track door slotted as described, a shaft upon whichthe track door is mounted, said shaft having a crank-arm at elevatingthe bail when the said main door is opened, as set forth.

RICHARD E. JONES.

\Vitnesses Tnos. II. NEWMAN, J. S. NICODEMUS.

